North Dakota Advocacy Groups Band Together to Form HOPE Project

HOPE, in this case, is an acronym which stands for Healing, Outreach, Prevention, and Empowerment.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – Advocacy groups in North Dakota are teaming up in a collective effort to try and combat sexual exploitation in the state.

The newly founded North Dakota HOPE project held its first live-streamed media conference the morning of January 8.

HOPE, in this instance, is an acronym for Healing, Outreach, Prevention, and Empowerment.

The group is a collaboration between six different advocacy organizations, including YouthWorks and the North Dakota Domestic and Sexual Violence Coalition, aimed at driving efforts to prevent all types of sexual abuse.

In their opening statement, group members said they believed they could make a big difference right away.

“There is no room for child sexual abuse or exploitation in North Dakota. No room,” said Greg Kasowski, the executive director for the Children’s Advocacy Centers of North Dakota.

“We have some opportunities today to make 2026 a year where we stop being reactive and start being proactive,” he added. “To get ahead of the problem and protect young people in North Dakota. It is possible to get ahead of these crimes.”

The HOPE project’s other main offering is a six-part web series aiming to educate the public and elevate the voices of survivors.

The first installment in that series debuts on January 13.